San Francisco Giants Shut Down Outfielder With Elbow Injury

The San Francisco Giants have been hit with some injury concerns early in their Spring Training camp.

Outfielder Austin Slater has been diagnosed with right elbow neuritis and has been shut down from baseball activities for at least a week, according to reports. Slater had already been resting his throwing elbow, but the issue has persisted, prompting the team to take a cautious approach.

He is not expected to pick up a bat or ball for the next week while he recovers.

Austin Slater, who was scratched from #SFGiants spring opener and has yet to appear in a game, will be shut down for the next week and be re-evaluated after that, the club announced.

He has right elbow neuritis.

— Evan Webeck (@EvanWebeck) March 1, 2023

Slater was expected to play in center field alongside Mike Yastrzemski as part of a platoon this season.

He put up decent numbers in 2022, batting .264.366/.408, with seven home runs, 34 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and 49 runs scored over 125 games.

However, his status for the start of the 2023 season is now uncertain. The team is hopeful that he can recover in time for Opening Day, but more information on his condition will be available next week. 

Austin Slater getting in some live BP earlier today in Scottsdale, AZ! pic.twitter.com/KkiGFtqExT

— Dan Coccimiglio (@DancMonsterSlam) February 22, 2023

Giants utility prospect Brett Auerbach also recently suffered a similar elbow neuritis injury but was able to recover quickly and return to camp. The team is hopeful that Slater can do the same and will not rush him back too soon.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler does not believe that Slater's injury is more severe than initially thought but emphasized that the situation is fluid and they want to ensure that they do not rush his recovery. The team will be patient and wait until Slater is ready to return to baseball activities.

Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports